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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. band — a music group
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bore — to tire
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bear — the animal
  16. craft — a skill
  17. race — a contest
  18. bore — to drill
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bear — the animal
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. race — humankind
  24. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com